Walking the Floors

In every firm there is an undercurrent of opinion that flows without regard. Attorneys and partners with opinion; staff stating their piece, everyone with something to add. It is the true nature of things.

What I do is walk the floors. Every day I move through the firm, walking and looking in doors and stopping to say hello. In this way I hear what so many might have to say. It is not so important that what they say might say could be dissagreeable as much as knowing what it is that they have to say at all. The current of opinion matters every moment.

If you are not doing this; walking the floors; start doing it know! Knowing the current state of things can only be found first hand.

The Strongest Links

Tom Mighell lists a dozen "strongest links" in this month's Law Practice Today, including my own MC blog. Thank you Tom! The others are:

Amazing Firms, Amazing Practices
Associate Marketing Mentor
Creating Dominance
David Maister
Golden Practices
In Search of Perfect Client Service
Larry Bodine's Professional Services Marketing Blog
Leadership for Lawyers
Legal Marketing
Rainmaker Best Practices
What About Clients?

Don't Be Afraid; Ask for the Business

Each month I get together with a couple of different business development networking groups. Members in each group are hand picked from different professional services verticals and are actively engaged in daily business and relationship development activities. When we get together we have a lot of new information, contacts, and opportunities to share with each other.

After one such meeting one of my attorneys who is also in the group, but new to developing relationship networks, asked me a question that caused me to pause for moment. He asked, "So if I hear someone in the group talking about a company or person I'd like to meet should I just ask them about (the company/person) current legal providers? The obvious answer is, "Yes."

He already knew the answer. What he was really asking was, "If I ask an obviously greedy question will everyone in the group still like me?" He was seeking acknowledgment and validation for wanting something out loud.

This is not so uncommon among attorneys, or among most business professionals; Imagining that it might be OK to be transparently hungry for more.

It is an American ethic taught from our youngest years. "Don't be so greedy!" "Give someone else a chance!" "If they wanted you to have it they would have given it to you!" "People will not like you if they think you're only out for yourself!" "STOP hitting your sister!!" (OK, the last one was mine...) We so learn the lessons of avoiding the appearance of greedy.

But in business there is a warm grey area between politely demur and greed. It's falls under the heading of "professional conduct". Among professionals it is OK to publicly seek to achieve goals with each other. It's OK to strive for an opportunity and ask the questions that bring the goals nearer.

In these little network meetings we are all hoping that through sharing, listening and asking we will both give and get. The giving is always easier than getting because the getting part feels so much like greedy.

I so totally appreciate the politeness of my attorney and his desire to not offend others. And I hope that he, and so many others can come to feel comfortable on both sides of helping others, and asking for help.

Go ahead and ask. That is what we are all here for; They will love sharing your desire to succeed.
Technorati Tags: Legal Marketing, Professional Services Marketing, Marketing, Business Development, Sales

Thank You to Readers of Marketing Catalyst

I use StatCounter to track the whens and hows of visitors to my site. Of course I cannot actually see whom any reader is, but I can know if they have made the MC blog a part of their daily routine from wherever their home news page might be. To the regular readers of MC blog... THANK YOU! I really appreciate that you come back from time to time to see what new insanity I am posting. I am always amazed at the reach of blogging. There are readers New York, DofC, Florida, Virginia, Texas, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, California, Utah, Arizona, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, England, Germany, Moscow, Bangkok, South Africa, and many, many more.

Again, I say thank you. I write for me... and am glad any of you have found something for yourself as well.

Enabling a Business Development Aptitude

When an attorney (or staff) checks in for their first day at my firm they are hustled off to a full day of orientation to learn all of the in's and out's of how to get things done. Along the way they are handed a large manual with lots of words, pictures, circles and arrows offering even greater detail about what they might need to know. And for all of that, not everything is included.

What they are not getting is (my oversight in the short time I have been at the firm) a business development orientation. My department does reach out to every attorney to handle bios, photos, Martindale updates, etc. But that's just scratching the surface. Next week I will be working out an orientation package that covers the following:

• An outline of the firm's history and traditions
• An introduction to the brand program at the firm.
• An snapshot of the firm's current market position and data on the specific practice area of the attorney.
• A questionnaire asking about past business development experiences (if any).
• A personal business development plan form.
• A review of current marketing resources and firm URLs.
• A discussion of the firm expense policies, sports tickets, and sponsorships.
• A profiling assessment to uncover strengths specific to the individual.

I believe I stand a better chance at increasing the business development aptitude of the attorneys if I start at the front door. I know that many firms already do all of this and if you have additional tips I would love to hear them.

Building Personal Brand

The most common question I am asked is, "How can I build a personal brand for myself?" If an attorney is interested in building a positive brand I have the answers that worked for me (there are those that believe any brand is better than none... BRILLIANT! <--- Thats sarcasm).

1. Show up: In order to be know I had to be seen. I did not need to be the center of attention or have some significant purpose. I just make sure that I show up at the places where people are (that I want to be known by). It did take a commitment of time. Some weeks I went to functions three to four nights a week, and attended a few gatherings and luncheons. Over time I have been able to slow that pace and select my events more carefully, but in the beginning I did need to grit my teeth and just show up.
2. Be seen with the "right" people: Every crowd has "A" through "D" players. Its just like high school out there in the real world. I took the time to study which people where considered insiders and learned to stay away from most of the rest. I know that sounds rude but life is just like that in everything we do. I have never been actually rude to anyone but my focus was always on being associated with the "right" people.
3. Have an opinion: People like associating with others that appear to have direction and purpose. Having an (reasoned) opinion is the best way of demonstrating my drive to achieve. I am not afraid to offer my take on things I know something about. Sometimes people listen and other times I am taught something new.
4. Be passionate about something: (see above) People seemed to respond when they knew that I was gung-ho about my profession and the things I did in my personal life. I know when I meet someone with passion I hope that a bit of what they feel will rub off on me.
5. Say nice things about yourself: This is a tough one. I was raised by an old-school Staten Island bred father who believed that it's not proper to extol ones self in public. I'm sure that works if you have already arrived or come from a big pile of old money, but I learned that if I don't tell people about me once in a while they may never know. It's not "bragging" to mention things you've accomplished. Its bragging when you go on and on and expect others to be in awe. Simply to say, "When I.... it turned out that..." is really OK.
6. Find ways to lead or organize: Every industry and community has organizations constantly in need of people to volunteer. Get on a committee or lead an event associated with the group of people you are targeting. Any position of perceived authority has been a good thing for me even though it's not much of anything at all.
7. Speak or write publicly: I have done both and both have been incredibly productive for my brand. Again it took going the extra mile in addition to doing what I am paid to do but the dividend is exponential. The people I wish I knew better are calling me or recognize my name because they read it or sat in an audience.
8. Find words that represent you: Say them over and over again whenever you're in a conversation. For me the words are, "I am a catalyst of growth and change." Or something close to that. One attorney I knew always found a way to interject, "I make millionaires" in every new business conversation. In both cases our words are true and compelling. When other people introduce me they often use the "catalyst" word. Its a wonderful brand message for me.
9. Ask and deliver: Plenty of people will ask, "what can I do to help you?" Not as many as you might imagine will deliver on that implied promise. More importantly, don't wait to be asked. It has never been to tough for me to figure out what might be helpful for another person and I like taking action to make something happen for them. I have never kept score but it feels pretty even most of the time.
10. Don't quit: One more event feeling like a wallflower... one more uncomfortable breakfast... one more favor that took real effort that went nowhere. Don't quit! My experience is that building the relationships that result in a broadly known personal brand takes time and a little heartache. The result though, for me, has been incredibly rewarding. I'm not in the headlines; people don't stop in their tracks to hear what I have to say. But in the little corner of the world where I make a living I feel respected and I am thankful to be known. Don't quit.
    

Technorati Tags: Legal Marketing, Professional Services Marketing, Marketing, Business Development, Sales

Marketing Strategy: Competent or Competitive

This article at Fast Company points at why some law firms have taken such a leap ahead while others have tried to emulate but fall short. This is an argument for putting aside what is comfortable and stepping onto the rickety bridge of new ideas.